/usr/share/games/shogivar/Mini.rul is in shogivar-data 1.55b-1.
This file is owned by root:root, with mode 0o644.
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 | " INTRODUCTION
==============
The exact origins of Mini-Shogi are uncertain. The game was either invented
or was rediscovered by Shigeo Kusumoto of Osaka around 1970. There has
been and perhaps still is a Mini-Shogi Association based in Osaka.
Despite being one of the world's smallest chess games, Mini-Shogi is not a
trivial game and is very playable.
THE GAME
=========
Mini-Shogi is played on a board of 5 x 5 squares and each player has 6
pieces (including a single pawn).
The pieces are flat and wedge-shaped and are not distinguished by colour.
Although the pieces are of uniform colour the first player is still
conventionally referred to as 'Black' and the second player as 'White'.
Ownership of the pieces is indicated by the direction in which they face,
with a player's pieces always pointing towards the opponent.
The players make alternate moves, with the object being to capture the
opposing 'King'.
As in Western Chess, when a 'King' is about to be captured next move and
no legal move can be made to prevent the capture, the piece is said to be
'Checkmated'.
On each turn a player can either:
a) move one piece according to its power of movement to a vacant square
on the board, or to a square occupied by an enemy piece (in which
case the enemy piece is captured and removed);
or,
b) 'Drop' (re-enter) a previously captured piece on almost any vacant
square.
THE PIECES
===========
The Piece Help screen provides the names, notation symbols, promotion
details, and powers of movement for all of the pieces in the game.
[The Piece Help screen can be reached by clicking on the 'Pieces' button]
PROMOTION
==========
Each player has a Promotion Zone consisting of the rank (row of squares)
furthest away from him. All pieces except the 'King' and 'Gold' have a
promoted rank and can promote on entering, moving within, or leaving
the Promotion Zone.
On promotion:
- The 'Rook' gains the power to move 1 square in any diagonal direction.
The 'Promoted Rook' is sometimes known as the 'Dragon'.
- The 'Bishop' gains the power to move 1 square in any orthogonal direction
and its promoted form is often referred to as the 'Horse'.
- The 'Pawn' and 'Silver' move as a 'Gold' on promotion.
Promotion is not compulsory unless the piece would be unable to make a
further legal move in its unpromoted state. The 'Pawn' must therefore
promote on entering the promotion zone (the last rank). There can be
advantages in not promoting the 'Silver' immediately on entering the
Promotion Zone.
As in all the games in the Shogi family, in Mini-Shogi sets the promoted
rank is shown on the reverse side of the piece, and the piece is turned
over on promotion to reveal the new rank. The promoted 'Silver' and 'Pawn'
use different cursive forms of the Japanese character for 'Gold', so that
they can be distinguished from each other.
CAPTURES
=========
A captured piece is removed from the board and is held by the capturing
player. The held piece (which is said to be 'in hand') may subsequently be
'dropped' back into play on the side of the player who made the capture.
All promoted pieces revert to their unpromoted ranks when captured.
DROPS
======
In place of a move a player may elect to 'drop' a piece held in hand back
into play. In general, a piece held in hand may be re-entered on any vacant
square, subject to the following restrictions:
a) A piece may not be dropped on a square from which it has no further
legal move. (ie: a Pawn can not be dropped on the last rank).
b) A Pawn can not be dropped in any file (column of squares) already
containing an unpromoted Pawn of the same side.
c) A Pawn can not be re-entered directly in front of the opposing 'King'
so as to give instant 'Checkmate'.
A piece dropped inside the player's Promotion Zone is not promoted until
after it has made a further move on the board.
HANDICAP PLAY
===============
Handicaps are often given when players of unequal strength play Shogi in
Japan. The reason that handicap play is common is that the handicap system
in Shogi works far better than that used in Western Chess. A handicap
option has also been included for Mini-Shogi.
In a handicap game a player offers a handicap of one or more pieces to an
opponent of less strength. In Japan, there is a comprehensive system of
determining the appropriate handicap according to the respective rankings
of the players.
The player offering the handicap plays 'White'and his opponent (as 'Black')
removes the handicap pieces as the first move of the game. In handicap play
'White' therefore makes the first move on the board.
Pieces removed as a handicap are totally removed from play and are not
held in-hand by 'Black'.
NOTATION
==========
The following notation system is used for recording Mini-Shogi games in
this program.
The files are designated by numbers (1 to 5), and the ranks by letters
(a to e). The files are numbered from right to left (in the Japanese
fashion), and the ranks from top to bottom (from Black's point of view).
The top right square is therefore 1a.
A move is described by giving:
a) the designation of the piece (eg: R for Rook); this designation is
preceded by a '+' if it is at its promoted rank,
b) followed by the method of moving;
'-' for a simple move on the board,
'x' for a capture,
'*' for a drop,
c) then the destination square is recorded,
d) finally if the piece promoted on that turn, this is recorded by
adding '+' after the move, or if promotion was possible but was
refused, the symbol '=' is added.
If more than one piece of the same type can reach the destination square
then the starting square is also given after the piece designation to
avoid confusion.
A 'Rook' moving from 5d to 5a (which was occupied by an enemy piece) and
promoting is therefore recorded as Rx5a+.
NOTE: This system is the official notation system of 'The Shogi
Association' for Shogi variants.
DISPLAYING LEGAL MOVES
=========================
If the 'Show Move' option is selected from the Moves Menu, clicking the left
mouse button on a piece on the board or 'in hand' during play will show all
the legal moves of that piece:
- All legal moves (including 'drops') to vacant squares are represented
as White Circles,
- Legal captures are shown as Red Circles. "
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